71-580: KVR may refer to: Kettle Valley Railway , discontinued railway company in Canada Kangra Valley Railway , Mountain railway in Himachal Pradesh, India K29HW-D, formerly known as KVR-TV , a student television station in Austin, Texas Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
142-511: A heritage railway along a preserved 10-kilometre section from Prairie Valley Station to Canyon View Siding, near Summerland, British Columbia . This is the only active remaining section of the Kettle Valley Railway. The last freight haul on the KVR was in 1989, after which CP Rail obtained permission to abandon and remove the final section of rails. A heritage society sprang up in a bid to save
213-565: A commercial annex of the United States. Provincial and Federal officials quickly agreed that a second railway dubbed the "Coast-to-Kootenay" railway within British Columbia was required in order to help preserve Canadian sovereignty of British Columbia, and to also retain the valuable mining revenues within Canada. The route selected involved connecting the railroad with Vancouver. However, this
284-729: A local arena, a public library (which is a branch of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System) and a civic centre. Merritt has dozens of bronzed hand prints of country music stars who have been in the city for the annual Merritt Mountain Music Festival displayed throughout town. Merritt is also home to a local radio station, a weekly newspaper and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology campus. Nearby, there are four provincial parks , numerous lakes, and several recreational trails. Merritt
355-563: A major employer in the city, and many other businesses, restaurants and hotels in Merritt are owned by members of this group. In advance polls during the 2015 Canadian elections, an unexpectedly high turnout in Merritt resulted in there being an insufficient quantity of ballots. On November 15, 2021, the entire city was ordered to evacuate after heavy rainfall and flooding caused the municipality's wastewater treatment plant to fail. Residents were asked to shelter with family or friends outside of
426-526: A number of "paper railways" emerged. These were railways that never progressed beyond the proposed stage. However some railroads did progress past the proposal stage. The CPR initiated the Nicola Valley Railroad in the early 1890s. This railway connected the town of Merritt with the CPR mainline at Spences Bridge . The Midway & Vernon Railroad was a paper railway that actually started construction. It
497-644: A permanent station was built at the Prairie Valley station providing a great access point for the railway. The railway initially operated with one 1924 Shay locomotive loaned from the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan, British Columbia . It was originally operated by the Mayo Lumber Company on Vancouver Island, and was specifically designed to work on rough forestry trackage. Rolling stock for
568-544: A portion of the rail line. Their efforts were successful in preserving the section, and they proceeded to prepare rail operations. In the original position of the Summerland station, a maintenance building was erected. Sidings were placed at Prairie Valley, and at Canyon View (North side of the Trout Creek Bridge). Temporary stations were built at Prairie Valley, Canyon View and at the original Summerland Station. Eventually
639-413: A routing proposed by his subordinates through this section was unnecessarily long or complex. McCulloch recalculated the requirements and decided that a straight section of track through this area was required; in order to achieve this, five closely aligned tunnels would be required. He also determined that two bridges would need to be built between three of the tunnels. These tunnels were eventually known as
710-569: A sawmill at West Midway. After 1976, Kootenay Division crews handled whatever work was required west of Midway. In fact, even though the Carmi Subdivision had closed to through service between Penticton and Carmi, BC, train service was maintained as far west as Beaverdell until late 1976. After 1977, no trains went past West Midway. One of the major landmarks on the former line are the Othello-Quintette Tunnels , which are lined up in
781-710: A straight line, cutting through the Coquihalla River 's gorge near Hope. They are open in summer for sightseeing. Andrew McCulloch , who oversaw the engineering projects which resulted in the complex series of bridges and tunnels through Coquihalla Canyon, was an avid reader of William Shakespeare . As a result of an anniversary of the Bard's death in 1916, McCulloch had a role in naming Coquihalla Subdivision stations after characters in Shakespearean literature, such as Iago , Romeo , Juliet , Lear , Jessica , and Portia . Shylock
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#1732837497979852-609: A wide variety of music "from daytime soul and reggae jams, to live experimental electronic music, house and techno". 2015 was the first year for the Rockin' River Music Fest , formerly held in Mission B.C., taking place July 30 to August 2. The return of a country music festival to Merritt was the first since the cancellation of the Merritt Mountain Music Festival in 2012. The 2015 headliners included Lady Antebellum. Merritt
923-601: Is a city in the Nicola Valley of the south-central Interior of British Columbia , Canada. It is 270 km (170 mi) northeast of Vancouver . Situated at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers, it is the first major community encountered after travelling along Phase One of the Coquihalla Highway and acts as the gateway to all other major highways to the B.C. Interior. The city developed in 1893 when part of
994-754: Is also a local slo-pitch softball league and the Merritt Otters swim club, which makes its home at the Nicola Valley Aquatic Centre. Merritt is home to Q101 Merritt's Music Mix , the Nicola Valley's only local radio station. 101.1 FM, CKMQ-FM is locally owned and an independent radio station. Q101 also reports news and broadcasts the BCHL 's Merritt Centennials hockey games. The station was originally launched in 1970 on AM 1230 as CJNL . In 2009, Merritt Broadcasting Ltd. received CRTC approval to convert to
1065-432: Is dominated by the primary industries of forestry, tourism, and service. For years, the Merritt area was a gathering place for local European colonists and First Nations , as the area was a focus of transportation routes used by early pioneers . The grasslands eventually drew the attention of settlers interested in ranching , and the first ranches were staked in the mid-19th century. In the 1880s three ranches located at
1136-586: Is estimated to have drawn as many as 148,000 people at its peak in the summer of 2005. The Mountain Music Festival, combined with the development of the Merritt Walk of Stars - a display of bronzed handprints of Mountainfest artists placed around the community - the Merritt Walk of Stars Mural Project, painted by artist Michelle Loughery , the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, Music in the Square and in
1207-607: Is home to the longest continuously run franchise in the British Columbia Hockey League , the Merritt Centennials . The Cents moved to the Nicola Valley from White Rock midway through the 1973–74 season. The Centennials play all home games at the city-run Nicola Valley Memorial Arena and their season runs from early September through early March. Merritt also hosts the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo on
1278-478: Is known as the "Country Music Capital of Canada" for its wealth of country music attractions, activities, and events. Highway 5 , and Highway 97C intersect at Merritt with Highway 97C East connecting the city to Kelowna and Penticton , Highway 97C Northwest to Logan Lake , Highway 8 to Spences Bridge and Lillooet , Highway 5A South to Princeton , Highway 5A North to Kamloops , Highway 5 South to Hope , and Highway 5 North to Kamloops . Merritt's economy
1349-426: Is situated at the south of the city centre. Diamond Vale is in the heart of the valley, and is the most populated. Each area is served by an elementary school: Bench Elementary , Collettville Elementary and French Immersion , Central Elementary , Diamond Vale Elementary . Also, a high school, Merritt Secondary School , that services the area. The main office for School District 58 Nicola-Similkameen , which operates
1420-418: Is the section through Myra Canyon. Myra Canyon is located south of Kelowna on Okanagan Mountain. The section of line originally transited between Midway and Penticton . When the railway was built, the section of railway between Myra station and June Springs station required 18 wooden trestles and two tunnels in order to traverse the deep canyon. For years after the abandonment of this section of rail line,
1491-425: The 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Merritt had a population of 7,051 living in 2,975 of its 3,149 total private dwellings, a change of -1.2% from its 2016 population of 7,139. With a land area of 26.04 km (10.05 sq mi), it had a population density of 270.8/km (701.3/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Merritt included: Merritt has
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#17328374979791562-410: The 2006 remake of The Wicker Man were also filmed partly in the area. In 2013 Shana: The Wolf's Music directed by Nino Jacusso was released, it is a drama about a First Nations girl coming of age set in a First Nations location. Scheduled to be released theatrically on June 11, 2021 Jurassic World Dominion began filming on February 25, 2020 in Merritt and concluded in early March 2020, with
1633-624: The BC Day weekend and supports electronic music and creative arts draws attendees from all over North America. The annual Labour Day Rodeo and Fall Fair are long standing traditions in this ranching valley, drawing participants from all over Canada and the US. Merritt provided the backdrop for the Academy Award -nominated movie The Sweet Hereafter . The debut episode of Smallville was partly filmed on location in Merritt. Jack Nicholson 's The Pledge and
1704-639: The Boundary Subdivision (Nelson-Midway) was ever part of official KV territory. Former Columbia & Western territory was always administered by the Kootenay Division. In later years of operations after 1962, the Kootenay Division administered the Carmi Subdivision all the way west to the east end of the yard at Penticton, BC. Much of the KVR was built in response to the construction of the Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway (VV&E). The VV&E
1775-798: The CPR Spences Bridge-Nicola line in early 1916. The KVR connected this line up the Coldwater River valley to connect with the KVR mainline at Brodie, BC, just west of Brookmere , BC. (After the closure of the Coquihalla Subdivision in late 1959, the Brookmere-Merritt-Spences Bridge line became the connection to the CPR main line.) After the end of the First World War, additional spur lines connected Copper Mountain with Princeton, Oliver with Penticton. (In 1944,
1846-576: The Copper Mountain Mine closure spelled the end for this line. The second part of the KVR to be abandoned was the Coquihalla subdivision. In 1959 there was a large washout and the line was closed for some time. The CPR officials in Montreal decided to close the line permanently. Many say that their decision was short sighted. In the late 1940s/early 1950s the CPR invested quite a lot of money in upgrading
1917-618: The FM band, and the station was relaunched on 101.1 FM on August 31 of that year. Simultaneously, the company's former sister division, NL Broadcasting, received approval to launch a separate rebroadcaster of CHNL , the company's talk radio station in Kamloops , on CJNL's former AM frequency. Merritt has a weekly newspaper, the Merritt Herald , that publishes on Thursdays. Merritt is also served by Shaw TV and by TELUS PureFibre Internet and Optik TV. In
1988-423: The KVR. The Kettle Valley Railway between Merritt and Midway was opened for service on May 31, 1915. On that date, the first two passenger trains commenced service. The Kettle Valley Railway was its own entity, but in practical reality, under the thumb of senior CPR management after about 1912. The Canadian Pacific Railway eventually took over operations of the KVR at the beginning of 1931. The former KVR territory
2059-610: The Kettle Valley Railway started in Hope up the steep Coquihalla Valley through the narrow rocky canyon to Coquihalla Pass, transited through GN track via Brookmere , Tulameen , to Princeton ; again back on CP track up the grasslands at Jura, through the light forest to Osprey Lake, and down to Summerland , Penticton , Beaverdell and terminated in Midway . An additional, earlier-constructed CPR branch line connected to Spences Bridge , and Merritt . The KVR took over administration and operation of
2130-642: The Kootenay region of British Columbia, as well as forestry products and fruit from the Okanagan. Finished goods were primarily brought into the Southern Interior on trains heading Eastbound. During the Kettle Valley Railway's lifespan, on numerous occasions it was called upon to act as "The Second Mainline" when washouts, avalanches and rock slides closed off the main CPR line through the Fraser Canyon . CPR recognized
2201-746: The Kootenays. It was stored in Port Coquitlam in 1966, and was restored in 1975. It was used as a backup locomotive to the Royal Hudson until it was retired from BC Rail's service in April 2001. The train now travels to the middle of the Trout Creek Bridge. Plans also were to extend the run to Faulder along the final portions of remaining original trackage. The Steam Railway owns track to Faulder. However, tours do not run to that location. Kettle Valley Railway
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2272-743: The Merritt Golf and Country Club in downtown Merritt and the Quilchena on the Lake Golf Course, located 15 minutes east of the city at historic Quilchena . Merritt features a skateboard park, bike park, and numerous walking trails. Monck Provincial Park is located on the western shore of Nicola Lake, 22 km (14 mi) north of Merritt. It offers an abundance of camping, picnicking, swimming, fishing, boating, water-skiing, wind-surfing and hiking. The Merritt Panthers high school teams compete in boys and girls volleyball , basketball , and rugby . There
2343-508: The Osoyoos Subdivision from Okanagan Falls to Osoyoos. This was due to the loss of fruit traffic to trucks. The remainder of the former KVR was doing quite well. In the early 1970s, at various times when forest products were shipping at peak rates, trains were operated between Penticton and Spences Bridge daily. This traffic gradually diminished as the 1970s progressed. Train service declined correspondingly. In early 1983, wood chip service
2414-402: The Osoyoos Subdivision was extended another 10 miles to connect Oliver with Osoyoos.) In the late 1930s until into the 1960s, the portion of the former Columbia & Western Railway from Midway, through Grand Forks continuing through to Castlegar was also periodically referred to as being part of the KVR as well. However, with the exception of some isolated track at Grand Forks, BC, no part of
2485-738: The Park along with other tourism development activities have been used to solidify the city's branding as the Country Music Capital of Canada. Merritt's prime location has provided the opportunity to host many events, the West Coast Rally Association's Pacific Forest Rally, an off-road rally conducted as part of the Canadian Rally Championship series every October, also the annual winter Thunderbird Rally often begins and ends in Merritt. The Bass Coast Festival held annually on
2556-682: The Quintette tunnels. These tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and are located along the existing Coquihalla Highway (however they are not visible from the highway). These tunnels are also known as the Othello Tunnels because they are near the Othello Railway station, named for the Shakespeare character, as is the case with other stations on this stretch of the railway named by McCullough. The Kettle Valley Steam Railway has been operating
2627-631: The Saturday and Sunday of Labour Day weekend every year. Merritt is also home to the Nicola Valley Thunder minor lacrosse club. A round of the Canadian Rally Championship, the Pacific Forest Rally, is held each year in and around Merritt. The international motorsport event is televised on TSN and RDS in Canada, and MotorsTV in Europe. Merritt and the Nicola Valley features two golf courses,
2698-407: The area was a noted attraction, with its relatively gentle grade, it became a hiker and cyclist haven. Years of disrepair on the trestles began to take its toll on the line. In some cases vandals had removed railway ties on the larger steel bridges, thus creating large gaps. Hikers and cyclists wanting to cross the trestles would be required to walk on sections of steel no wider than a foot across where
2769-488: The benefit of having a second railway transiting through British Columbia, so beginning in the late 1930s and up until 1959, they set off on an upgrade program that saw the weight-bearing strength of the rails increased, as well as bridge and trestle improvements which brought the railway closer to mainline standards. The first portion to be abandoned was the Copper Mountain Branch in 1957. The loss of traffic due to
2840-474: The city to go into receivership from 1933 to 1952. The next wave of immigrants, primarily Sikh , from the Punjab region of India, arrived in Merritt in the 1950s, followed by a large influx in the late 1960s and early 1970s to work in the booming forestry sector of the time and adding to the cultural mosaic of Merritt. Known as Indo-Canadians , they continue to play a crucial part in the economy—Aspen Planers Ltd.,
2911-413: The community, or in emergency evacuation shelters in Kamloops and Kelowna . Merritt is composed of four distinct residential areas: Bench, Collettville, Central and Diamondvale. The Bench is a residential mountain bench, hence the name, sited on the northwest side of the valley. Collettville, on the southwest edge of the community south of the Coldwater River, was the newest addition to Merritt. Central
KVR - Misplaced Pages Continue
2982-550: The confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers , owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and the John Charters Estate, became the focus of a farming community known as "The Forks". With the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway through British Columbia in 1885, interest increased in the coal deposits south of The Forks. Parts of the ranches owned by Voght, Garcia and Charters were surveyed in 1893 for
3053-573: The firefighters, the fire claimed 14 of the 18 trestles within Myra Canyon. In addition, the bridge decks of two of the metal bridges were also destroyed in the fire. Soon after the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire in 2003, the BC provincial government announced that it would rebuild the damaged and destroyed trestles and bridges. In addition, safety improvements including stabilizing rock faces along
3124-568: The former KVR line essentially became a wandering, low-trafficked branch line. All rail service stopped from Midway to Penticton (including the famed Myra Canyon section) in May 1973, with the trackage being labelled as abandoned in 1978. Rails along this section were removed in 1979-1980 as the result of a grant of abandonment from the Canadian Transport Commission. In 1977 the CP abandoned part of
3195-465: The line and clearing rock also has taken place. The trestles have since been rebuilt and the trail is fully open to the public. There are indications that plans for further improvement are in place, such as a restroom located at approximately the middle of the trail. When constructing the railway through the roughest portion of the Coquihalla Canyon, chief engineer Andrew McCulloch determined that
3266-507: The line. including many new bridges. (Others, better-informed, knew that the 1950s upgrades were part of a larger corporate strategy: it aimed at getting rid of unprofitable lines such as the Coquihalla Subdivision.) Through freight was discontinued throughout the line in 1961, and the last passenger train operated in January 1964. With the end of scheduled through-freight service in September 1961,
3337-455: The major settlement in the Nicola Valley . Armstrong's Store moved from Lower Nicola to Nicola Avenue in Merritt in the spring of 1907. G.B. Armstrong became Merritt's first postmaster at this location in 1908. In 1910, Armstrong's Department Store moved to 2025 Quilchena Avenue. In 1909, the Bank of Montreal moved from the settlement of Nicola to Merritt. A.E. Howse moved his department store to
3408-537: The railway was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2002. From August to September 2003, lightning sparked the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. This fire rapidly grew in strength and size and made its way southeast across Okanagan Mountain. This fire engulfed many portions of the KVR between Penticton and McCulloch Lake. Despite concerted efforts by
3479-428: The railway was donated from BC Rail . These railcars are Canadian Pacific in origin, but were used by BC Rail for service on the Royal Hudson . The most recent locomotive addition to the Kettle Valley Steam Railway is a Canadian Pacific Montreal Locomotive Works 2-8-0 . This locomotive, originally delivered as number 3916, it now is number 3716 and runs on the KVSR. It was built for the CPR, and operated primarily in
3550-403: The railway's original route has been converted to a multi-use recreational trail , known as the Kettle Valley Rail Trail , which carries the Trans-Canada Trail through this part of British Columbia . The Kettle Valley Railway was built out of necessity to service the growing mining demands in the Southern Interior region of British Columbia. When the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) completed
3621-402: The ranches owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and John Charters were surveyed for a town site. Once known as Forksdale, the community adopted its current name in 1906 in honour of mining engineer and railway promoter William Hamilton Merritt III . The 24-square-kilometre (9.3 sq mi) city limits consist of the community, a number of civic parks, historical sites, an aquatic centre,
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#17328374979793692-417: The schools in the area, is also located in Merritt. The town is also served by the Nicola Valley Museum and Archives . Today, ranching , farming , forestry , transportation and tourism are the primary industries . Merritt is the nearest large community to the Douglas Lake Cattle Company , Canada's largest working cattle ranch. Merritt was once host to an annual Merritt Mountain Music Festival that
3763-463: The shoot including the city's downtown area. The Nicola Valley is also host to the shooting of numerous commercials. Merritt is a member of the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission, which is a full-time, full service film commission representing the Thompson Nicola Regional District. The Merritt Mountain Music Festival was an outdoor music festival in Merritt. In 2005 the festival hosted a record-breaking attendance of approximately 148,000 people throughout
3834-474: The six-day event. Over the years it has hosted country stars such as Kenny Chesney , Reba McEntire , and Wynonna Judd . Since cancelling the festival in the summer of 2012, The Merritt Mountain Music Festival is no longer in operation. Starting on the BC Day weekend in 2013 (Friday, August 2 to Monday, August 5, 2013), Bass Coast Music Festival will be making Merritt, BC its new home (after taking place in Squamish, BC its first four years). Bass Coast features
3905-462: The southern portions of British Columbia in order to fulfill politician pledges to keep Americans out of British Columbia should they ever attempt to dominate mining operations in British Columbia's South. However, geography was the main reason the CPR followed the transcontinental railway route that it had selected. Too many mountain ranges stood between Alberta and Vancouver in the southern portions of British Columbia, and CPR had selected what they felt
3976-420: The ties were removed. This would not normally be an issue, but many of these trestles and bridges were hundreds of feet in height. After a fatal accident involving a cyclist on one of the trestles, many people petitioned to have the bridges and trestles made safer. These upgrades included repairs, the installation of handrails and planks so that people did not have to jump between each railway tie. This section of
4047-502: The title KVR . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KVR&oldid=745080621 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Kettle Valley Railway The Kettle Valley Railway ( reporting mark KV )
4118-405: The town grew, it featured a drug store, a general store, a brewery and a jewellery store. The first electrical power service by the city was provided in February 1913. Merritt and the Nicola Valley experienced prosperity until the passage of restrictive trade legislation in the United States in 1930. Because the city had financially backed one of the major sawmills, the loss of lumber markets caused
4189-431: The townsite of Forksdale, but the name did not catch on with locals. Instead, the name was changed in 1906 to honour William Hamilton Merritt III , a mining engineer and railway promoter. By 1907, the coal mines were in operation and with the completion of the Nicola, Kamloops and Similkameen railway from Spences Bridge , government and other offices starting moving from Lower and Upper Nicola to establish Merritt as
4260-410: The transcontinental railway in 1885, the route cut through the Rocky Mountains at Kicking Horse and Rogers Passes, then followed the Fraser River for the remainder of the distance to Vancouver . This selected routing was significantly to the north of the mining towns within the Southern Interior. Those critical of the CPR believed that the railway should have been routed along the Dewdney Trail , through
4331-471: The west end of Nicola Avenue. The Nicola Herald , founded at Nicola Lake in 1905, moved from Nicola to Merritt in 1909 and the name was changed to the Merritt Herald and Nicola Valley Advocate . Other industries developed in the Valley , including ranching , copper, nickel, gold and silver mining, and forestry , and as a result, new business buildings were constructed. The move toward incorporation began in 1910 and culminated on April 1, 1911, when Merritt
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#17328374979794402-456: Was a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) that operated across southern British Columbia, west of Midway running to Rock Creek, then north to Myra Canyon, down to Penticton over to Princeton, Coalmont, Brookmere, Coquihalla and finally Hope where it connected to the main CPR line. It opened in 1915 and was abandoned in portions beginning in 1961, with the surviving portion west of Penticton seeing their last trains in 1989. Much of
4473-485: Was featured on the historical television series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns , season 2, episode 8. Because the CP route through the Rockies had been upgraded to modern steel bridges, the CBC miniseries The National Dream filmed its opening and a number of scenes where wooden trestles were wanted on the Myra Canyon section of the Kettle Valley Railway. The locomotive used was Canadian Pacific 4-4-0 No. 136, disguised as CPR 148. Merritt, British Columbia Merritt
4544-408: Was folded into the CPR's BC District at that time as the Kettle Valley Division. Rail service on the KVR consisted of both passenger and freight trains. Passenger service over the line consisted for many years of the Kettle Valley Express and the Kootenay Express , which carried passengers between Vancouver, BC and Medicine Hat , Alberta . Freight carried on the KVR consisted primarily of ore from
4615-489: Was granted its city charter. The first Merritt City Hall was built in 1912. The top floor was police headquarters, the second for administration offices, and the bottom for the jail. The building included the fire hall and tower that housed a whistle to summon the volunteer fire fighters . Merritt dedicated the names of its streets and avenues to early settlers. Among the names honoured were Charters, Chapman, Cleasby, Garcia, Voght, Coutlee, Nicola, Granite, and Quilchena. As
4686-404: Was hoped that the Midway & Vernon railway would connect Midway (the westernmost station of the CPR-owned Columbia and Western Railway ) with Vernon . However, due to funding issues, construction on this railway was stopped. However portions of the completed railway grade were included in the Kettle Valley Railway when the section between Penticton and Midway was completed. The core portion of
4757-456: Was moved to trucking and from that point onwards, rail traffic quickly diminished to a couple of trains per week. Penticton station building and mechanical servicing facilities were closed at Penticton in the spring of 1985. From that time until the end of train service in March 1989, train crews working the Princeton Subdivision west of Penticton, were headquartered at Merritt. About 2 miles of former KVR track also survived westward from Midway to
4828-419: Was never an official KVR station name. A spur just below Portia was unofficially known as 'Shylock Spur.' On the Smithsonian Folkways FW03569 1961 recording, "Bunkhouse and Forecastle Songs of the Northwest," Stanley G. Triggs sings a song called "The Kettle Valley Line" while accompanying himself on the mandolin. One of the most popular sections of the hiking trail along the former Kettle Valley Railway line
4899-411: Was not an easy task, as two mountain ranges stood in the way. Construction was some of the costliest per track mile when compared against most other North American railway projects, costing almost $ 20 million, and it took nearly 20 years to complete. Construction of the railway was not undertaken all at once, or even by one single company. In the process of realizing a completed "Coast-to-Kootenay" railway,
4970-411: Was owned by Great Northern Railway . Although the CPR and the GNR had indulged in fierce competition in Boundary, West and East Kootenay Districts, that competition was cooling considerably by the time the construction of the KVR began in 1910. By 1913, prodded by the provincial government, the GNR had reached formal construction and then as regular operations loomed, joint track operations agreements with
5041-462: Was the path of least resistance. Once silver was discovered within the region in the spring of 1887, thousands of Americans flooded into the BC's Southern Interior, and essentially took control of the region. These miners quickly found that it was much quicker and cheaper to get their supplies from the recently completed Northern Pacific Railroad that transited through Spokane. Once word caught on, British Columbia's Southern Interior essentially became
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